Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Beat the Frizz!


From my own curly experience, I found baking soda for washing wayyy too harsh, and recently found that even low poo stripped my hair of the natural sebum I'd brushed through for over 6 months to now have lovely transitioned curly hair.

The moral of my story is I only cleanse my scalp. The length of my hair is lovely, clean and never frizzy anymore for two reasons...

ACV! I use it at a 50/50 ratio mixed with water all over and about 5 drops of EO in my squirt bottle. The ACV lays down the cuticle of the hair. Think of roof shingles laying nicely and the rain rolling off it. When the cuticle of the hair lays flat, the hair is physically smoother and tangles less.



Next, curly hair has a structure like Swiss cheese, (click here for more) it's porous so can't keep hydrated without help. The holes mean the water evaporates and leaves it dry but those same holes and structure is exactly why it can curl!!


So sebum... Lovely heavenly sebum. If you're patient enough to brush the sebum through the length if your hair, it fills in those holes and leaves your hair stronger, shiny, and naturally hydrated.

I got sebum to just past my high ponytail in about 4 months and got frustrated because it made my ends look horrible in comparison so I did two things:

First I got a good trim, then I started oiling from the ends to meet my sebum. By focusing on brushing the sebum past my ears since it moved only an inch a month, I knew my hair and one day I took out my old flat iron so I could wear my hair out for a work function and in one week my sebum moved like greese lightning!! Haha! I actually went 21 days with only one WO right before the flat ironing episode!!

When I WO, I still use an ACV rinse, all over, especially on my scalp every time.


Next, I started using a flat iron, I felt guilty because it was such a non natural, non crunchy thing to do, but I was desperate. I also consoled myself by saying I'm so kind to my hair and it's in the best shape it's ever been, one flat iron won't hurt after all the good I'm doing.... And TaDaa!!

Now I'm on a 21 day cycle, this time without the WO wash even. I wash and plop curly, then day 2 half up, day 3, up do, day 4 thick fat bun with waves, then I brush and oil my hair since the sebum comes in for me on day 4. Then I wear it in a bun or French braid for 2 days then on day 7, I flat iron on medium heat just the last 4" that don't get the benefit of being pulled straight into an elastic when in a bun, I can wear my hair out for two weeks after that, occasionally I wear it up, but it looks a little flat on the scalp until about 10am and then gets a little tousled full of volume and looks great by the afternoon.

Update:  headband curls give awesome volume!! 

No poo beats frizz girls!!! Stick it out, and remember to hydrate with oils and brush twice a day, and to wash less and less!  (If you're extra dry, hydrate with aloe vera gel first, then add oil to seal.  Remember, less is more - you can add a little more again tomorrow)

I brush really well in ALL directions in the evening before bed and wear it in a loose ponytail, braid or bun. Then I only brush to style in the morning.

Let me know if only cleansing your scalp helps, and using the ACV rinse of course. Please leave comments below :)

1 comment:

  1. Nikki, I would love your advice! I just started my no poo journey and I really have high hopes for it! I used to have really big wild curly hair, but last year it stopped curling and now only has a sad wave to it. I really would love to restore my curl and am hoping no poo will do the trick! Can you read my blog, look through the pictures of my hair journey, and then give me some advice? I would really appreciate it! Thanks!! http://tamaracsantos.blogspot.com/2014/06/can-someone-help-curly-no-poo-newbie-out.html

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for sharing my journey, all comments are welcomed but will be moderated to ensure we have good vibes going on.